Isn't the option to book your non-home resort a guarantee on the old L14 contracts?
If their intention is to kill the resale market then the only way IMO is to offer real, significant perks to direct buyers. Perks that make you think that over the next 20 years the price difference won't be significant. Park discounts, longer FP+ window, longer ADR window. And only give the perks to those who purchase the majority of their points directly.
Good ideas, but complicated by the fact that those perks require consent/cooperation with other WDW divisions whose priorities are different. Longer FP and ADR windows are probably easier to negotiate than park discounts that reduce revenue for the Parks division, but DVD would most likely need to develop perks that they could control and ensure continuity.
I agree that if they REALLY want to differentiate their Direct Sales from Resales, that their best option really is to increase the value of Direct by increased perks specifically tailored to them. Yes, I understand they can't just hand out discounts. They need to do things without impacting the profits of the other divisions, and they cannot just change policies as they desire, when those policies have been set by the other divisions. But I don't think it would take much in the way of perks to swing the sales balance in their direction. The biggest thing they really should do is create the belief in the minds of their Direct purchasers that those Direct purchasers are getting a special deal, with special benefits and special value.
Here are some suggestions that I think are reasonable, and not too expensive:
1. Give a ONE YEAR Annual Pass to the purchasers, once, for every 50 or every 100 points that they purchase.
2. Let Direct Purchasers have 1 extra FastPass per day, per person who is staying in their unit. (So they could have 4 instead of 3 per day.) Preferably in perpetuity, but at least for 5 years.
3. Allow Direct Purchasers to get their FastPasses one week early, while they own the contract.
4. Allow Direct Purchasers to make Dining Reservations one week early, while they own the contract.
5. Give Direct DVC Purchasers one free 12 ounce bottle of water per day, for each person staying in the unit. They could easily provide this by having the DVC Owners go by the Reception area and show their Magic Bands and pick them up. What does a bottle of water cost? 5 cents?
6. Every year, send the Direct Purchasers a T-Shirt (or something similar that people would see) that says, "I purchased DVC Riviera from Disney. It's mu home." (increase Membership fees for Riviera by $10 per year to cover this.)
I think there are a number of other Perks that would make people happy, make people feel that they got a great deal, and make people want to Buy Direct, because it makes them feel special. I don't think it would take much for people to choose Direct over Resales, if Disney did that.